Whiskey Professor Explains Knob Creek Shortage

When news broke that Knob Creek would likely run out of bourbon before the new batch is ready in November, the brand used the news to its advantage. It launched an ad campaign tagged "Thanks for Nothing" that featured empty bottles to signify that the company would rather run out than sacrifice the integrity of its product. Bernie Lubbers, a "whiskey professor," which is what the brand calls its ambassadors, explained just why Knob Creek is running dry.

"It's not a bad problem to have," he admits. A spike in demand, coupled with the way Knob Creek labels its bottles, is responsible for the shortage. In particular, an age statement on the bottle means that every drop inside must be at least as old as the age stated -- in this case, nine years. Rather than remove the age statement in order to use younger bourbon it has in store, Knob Creek decided to just stick it out and let certain markets run dry.

"Maine is out," says Lubbers. New York, however, won't likely be affected.